


As Long As I'm Living My Baby You'll Be

by lilaussieauthor, theauthenticme



Series: Topaz-Blossom Family Fics [10]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Advice, Angst, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Motherhood, Olivia Grace Topaz-Blossom - Freeform, Olivia needs a hug, Olivia needs her mom, Toni is a mom, Toni is a therapist, relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-08
Updated: 2019-07-08
Packaged: 2020-06-23 23:25:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19711648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilaussieauthor/pseuds/lilaussieauthor, https://archiveofourown.org/users/theauthenticme/pseuds/theauthenticme
Summary: Olivia Grace Topaz Blossom comes home from college a little before the end of the year, needing her mom. Toni is there with advice and a comforting hug. Hurt/comfort and angst





	As Long As I'm Living My Baby You'll Be

**Author's Note:**

> Toni and my favorite OC, Olivia Grace! ❤️
> 
> Another great collab with my all time favorite writing partner, lilaussieauthor. Love you 💜

"Momma?" Olivia called, throwing her phone into her pocket as she crept through the front door. The house was still and quiet but she knew Toni was home as her car was in the drive, she just needed to locate her. Olivia knew they wouldn't be expecting her, she wasn't supposed to break up from college for another 5 weeks.

“Livvy?” Toni shouted from where she was hanging the laundry out the back, her face in a tight frown. “Is that you?”

"Hi mom.." she smiled sheepishly, appearing at the back door to see her mom hanging out the laundry. "Surprise."

“Hey!” Toni grinned, rushing over to fold her eldest into her arms. “Why are you home?!”

Liv hugged Toni tight. "Oh uh..just a short visit. God I forgot how much I missed your hugs." She always felt safe and happy in her momma's arms, like she was protected from everything.

“Short visit?” Toni asked, holding her tight. “Not complaining, but... any reason why?”

Liv tensed but then regained herself, pulling away from her mother with the shake of her head. "Nope. No reason. Just missed you is all."

Toni smiled. “We missed you too. How long are you staying?”

"Uhh..well...classes were..cancelled for a while. So maybe a few days?" she scuffed the ground with her foot. "If..if that's okay."

“Of course!” Toni said immediately, picking up on Liv’s unusual behaviour. “This is your home! Why’d classes get cancelled?” She hadn’t heard anything.

"Oh um..well.." she mumbled. "I'm not sure." She saw that Toni had finished hanging out the laundry. "Can we go inside, maybe watch a movie or something?"

"Of course.." Toni raised an eyebrow, putting the peg bag away and heading back towards the house. "I hope you know, I know something’s up young lady.”

"What? No..noth..nothing is up. I just missed you" her voice wobbled as she followed Toni inside.

“Okay,” Toni said again, allowing Liv to talk when she need to. “What movie should it be?”

Liv sank heavily onto her favorite spot on the well loved couch, immediately leaning against Toni's side as she sat beside her. "I don't mind. Whatever's on Netflix."

Toni wrapped her arm around her daughter’s waist. “Okay... how about... Clueless?”

"That sounds like a good choice.." she agreed, although her mind was already elsewhere.

Toni pressed play, her eyes not on the tv but instead on her daughter, who’s eyes were blank. “Hey, Livvy?”

Livvy pulled away from her mom for a second. "Yeah?" She was immediately snuggled into Toni's side again.

Toni opened her mouth and then closed it. She wasn’t exactly sure what to say, just wanted Liv to know that she could talk. "What’s been happening at school?”

"Oh um. Nothing much," she fiddled with the sleeve of her top.

“Not much? How’re the classes? Hard?”

"Nothing I can't handle. _Why_? Has..has someone called?"

“No?” Toni asked incredulously. “Should they have?”

"No..no. Of course not. It's not like it's school.." she trailed off.

“I... Okay. If you wanna talk about anything, you know i'm always here,” Toni soothed, falling silent and letting Olivia talk when she wanted.

Momma?" she asked after a while, her voice quiet.

“Yeah?” Toni turned to her, eyes kind.

"Can I ask you something? For..for a friend?"

“Anything,” Toni agreed, seeing right through her.

"Thanks.." she trailed off, falling silent again. "You see people everyday as a therapist right? H..how would you know...if someone wasn't coping?"

“Wasn’t coping?” Toni asked. “Depends what with. If they’re coming to a therapist, they’re possibly not coping too well in the first place... sometimes they’re anxious, they don’t eat, friends are saying things... they get either detached or clingy, it depends from person to person. Why?”

"Right..right.." she nodded slowly, her mind buzzing. "I just wondered."

“Okay,” Toni said again. “Hey, Livvy?”

"Hmm?" Livvy didn't look up this time, her head now laid on Toni's lap.

Toni began to stroke her fingers through her daughters hair. “What isn’t... this friend of yours, what aren’t they coping with?”

"Uh..well.." she started, trying to keep her emotions at bay. "I guess they're not really coping with a lot right now. I mean.. they're _trying_ but everything feels like it's too much."

“Oh?” Toni asked, willing her to continue.

"And..they're trying to keep going. Do their assignments. Get to class and stuff. But they're..they are finding everything really, really tough."

“Are they?” Toni asked gently. “Have they maybe wanna consider talking to a therapist?”

Livvy shrugged. "She's shy. And she doesn't know any good therapists at College."

“Ah... are there _any_ therapists at college?”

"Not that she's willing to talk to, no."

“Would she be... interested in talking to me?”

Livvy felt her lip wobble, but she bit down quickly on it as she nodded her head. "I think that would help."

Toni nodded. “And... when would she like to do that?”

"I'm not sure. I mean I guess I could ask her.." she mumbled, her head still on Toni's lap.

“I think that’s a good idea...”

"I think she's scared. To talk about how she's feeling."

“Yeah?” Toni asked. “Does she - does she tell you much? About how she feels?” She started to rub Livvy’s back comfortingly.

"Uhuh.. so I can probably answer any questions you wanted to ask. If she did talk to you..what...what would you ask her?"

“I think... I’d have to check how she was acting... ask what was stressing her most and what kind of support system she had at home...”

"You'd want to know all that?" she whispered quietly.

“It's so I can see what I can do to help,” Toni nodded. “But I need to know the context, find out what's going on with her first."

"Right yes..yes. That makes sense. Well uh..I guess..she...she's..not had an easy year."

“Oh yeah?” Toni asked softly. “Why not?”

"She's had a lot going on. Been through some..some stuff.."

“Do you think she could tell me what stuff has been going on for her?" Toni’s voice was very, very quiet, but her hand never left it’s soothing spot on Liv’s back.

"Uh..maybe.." she squeezed her eyes shut, the tears building up quickly behind her eyelids.

“Livvy... look at me, baby,” Toni whispered.

"I..I can't.." she whispered, refusing to open her eyes.

“You can,” she promised. “I know you can.”

Livvy turned her head from where she was laid to look up at Toni.

“Good girl,” Toni murmured, looking down at her.

Livvy said nothing, knowing she couldn't hide her tear filled eyes.

“Livvy...” Toni started, wondering how to ease into this kindly. “This friend of yours... you think you could tell me her name?”

"Uh..does that matter?" She mumbled, looking away from her mother's kind gaze.

Toni nodded. “It does.”

"Okay.." she sighed. "She's uh..she's called Megan."

Toni sighed. “Really?”

Liv said nothing, tears in her eyes again. "She just..she needs help mom. Isn't that enough?"

“Please be completely honest with me right now,” Toni said quietly. “Please.”

Livvy broke down. "It's..it's me.."

Toni sighed, gathering her close. “Oh, sweetie... I know... I know.”

"You..you knew?" Liv thought she had hidden it well.

“I know you a lot better than you think I do" Toni soothed.

"Sorry for lying" she cried.

“That’s okay,” Toni murmured. “You wanna tell me what’s going on... properly?”

Livvy nodded. "Yes please. If that's okay..and you have time.."

“I always have time for you... talk to me, please...”

Liv sniffled as a rush of tears spilled down her cheeks and she buried her face in Toni's lap.

“It’s okay, baby, I’m right here,” Toni whispered, her heart breaking to see her daughter in so much pain. “You’ve got me..."

"Im sorry.." she managed through her tears. "I'm so sorry."

“Shh, you have nothing to be sorry for... _nothing_... take a deep breath okay?”

Liv nodded, trying to calm herself down. She hated feeling like this. So helpless, so vulnerable.

“Good... you’re doing grest... talk when you can, okay?”

Liv nodded, wishing alll this would go away and she felt better. "I..I'm not coping very well mom.."

“Yeah?” Toni asked softly. “Why do you think that is?”

"I'm not sure. Maybe with everything... everything that happened.."

Toni nodded. “That’s understandable. Is it - is anything else the matter?”

Liv shrugged. "L..like what?"

“That’s what I’m asking, baby,” Toni whispered.

"Right..yeah.." she forced out an anxious smile although it looked more like a grimace.

“Livvy... breathe,” Toni reminded her. “Tell me what you can, okay? Whenever you’re ready.”

Livvy knew she had to hold it together or she'd be a crying mess. "I don't know what I'm sposed to say momma. Everything is a mess."

“You just say whatever you can, okay? How are things a mess?” Toni was struggling to hold _herself_ together, seeing her daughter in so much pain was hurting her.

"I feel like everything is an effort. I don't feel happy anymore.." she mumbled, tears streaming down her face. "And I don't know what to _do_."

Toni’s heart broke. “Oh, baby...” she murmured, cuddling her eldest close. “How long have you been feeling like this?”

"A..a while. It's been building up since..since everything that happened at Christmas."

“That’s fair enough,” Toni nodded. “And - and have you told anyone?”

Livvy shook her head. "Nobody. My friends have asked but I just say I'm fine."

“And... why do you think you say that?”

"Cos..I..I can't tell them about everything."

“Yeah... you might not want to tell them about _that_ , but they’re your friends... you could tell them about other things?”

Liv shrugged. "I guess.." she didn't really feel she could.

“I know it seems hard...” Toni nodded. “Is there - was there something that - that pushed it so far over the edge that you decided to tell me?”

"I don't know what made me change my mind. I wasn't going to say anything.."

“Why not?”

"I didn't want to burden you.." she buried her face again.

Toni’s face crumpled, her eyes filling with tears. “Liv. Olivia... look at me, baby..”

Olivia reluctantly met her mother's gaze. "See..I upset you...I didn't want to do that.." she felt awful about it.

“No... no, you haven’t upset me... what’s upset me is that you think you can’t talk to me... you _can_ , Livvy... I thought you knew that...”

"No mom, you've got it wrong.." she sniffled. "I _know_ I can talk to you. Always. But I thought I could handle it on my own without bothering anyone else."

“We care, baby,” Toni whispered. “We _want_ to know this... we need to, okay?”

Olivia nodded. "Sorry for letting you down" _again_ she thought to herself.

“You - you definitely haven’t let me down, okay? I promise.”

"Okay momma.." she tried her best to believe it.

“Can you keep talking to me about what’s been happening?” Toni asked quietly, her fingers running soothingly over her daughter’s back again.

Olivia nodded. "I've been finding my school work really tough cos I feel like I can't concentrate properly on anything."

“Yeah?” Toni pressed gently. “Have your teachers noticed?”

"Some. I just said there was some family problems and they backed off."

“Oh, _Livvy_ ,” Toni murmured. "We're gonna get through this, okay?” She hated having Liv away from her - surely if her little girl was at home, she would’ve picked up on this?

Liv nodded again, not trusting herself to speak. She buried herself in Toni's side, all her emotions pouring out.

Toni held her close. “I’ve got you...”

"Help me mom. Please.." she begged.

“I’m going to... I promise I’m going to...”

"How.. _how_?" She was in a bad place emotionally.

“We’ll figure that out once you’re feeling a little bit better,” Toni knew they get nowhere if Livvy was so upset.

“Take some deep breaths with me,” Toni started. “Dyou think you can tell me some things you’re looking forward to?”

Olivia tried to slow her breathing. "I..I've been looking forward to coming home. Seeing you..and...mom..and Lexie.."

“That’s good... anything else?”

She shrugged her shoulders defeatedly. "I don't know.."

Toni nodded. “Can you think of anything that’s coming up that you’re especially stressed about?”

Olivia opened her mouth to speak, things flashing though her mind, but then shook her head. "No.."

“No?” Toni pressed. “Nothing at _all_?"

"Well.." she fiddled with her sleeves. "I guess there's my finals..and we have some cheer stuff coming up but I've been such a rubbish member I'm surprised they haven't kicked me off the squad."

“I’m sure you’re amazing,” Toni said quietly. “How long exactly til your finals?”

"A few weeks.." she could fear more tears building. She really didn't want to go back.

“And then a break, right?” Toni confirmed.

"Yeah. Summer off thank goodness. If I even go back for the end of semester anyway."

Toni nodded, an idea forming in her mind. “So... a few more weeks to push through and then three months off...”

“I know you don’t want to, baby, but you’re so close... I know you can do it...”

"You don't actually" she mumbled. Because she didn't know if she could. If she even _wanted_ to. "You're just saying that to make me feel better."

“No. I know you can. And I know you think you can’t but I know you can.”

Livvy shook her head, snuggling into Toni's side again. Silence filled the room before Olivia started speaking again. "You know..you..and...mom.."

"Me and mom?"

"You've been together for a long, long time. Right?"

“Yeah,” Toni nodded, wondering where this was going. “Yeah, forever.”

"Right..." she nodded slowly, still thinking through her own thoughts. "And you got together quite young.."

Toni nodded again. “Indeed.”

"Before mom...did you have many other relationships?"

“A few... none serious though. Why?”

"How did you know they weren't right?"

“Different depending on the person... a couple I just didn’t love that way... and a few weren’t great people...”

"Did you ever have a relationship with someone who.." she trailed off, going quiet again. "Who..maybe wasn't so great but who thought you were meant to be and should be together; even if you didn't agree?"

Toni’s eyes widened. “Is this something that’s happening to you?”

"No mom..I was just asking.. in general.." she trailed off.

"Livvy. Completely honest, remember?"

"I remember.." she frowned, not committing herself to anything.

"Please..." Toni met her daughter's eyes seriously. "Please talk to me."

"Have you ever been in a relationship like that?"

"I have, a very long time ago."

"You have?" Olivia's eyes widened as she bit her lip. "How did you stop it?"

"I realised it was wrong," Toni told her. "I realised that if I was hurt and it was impacting badly on me and my health then it wasn't supposed to happen. I realised what _real_ love should've been like. And then I did something about it."

"What did you do?" Olivia asked, her voice small.

"I left. Just upped and packed and left. And I didn't come back."

"You make it sound so easy."

"It wasn't," Toni shrugged. "It definitely wasn't, but looking back on it now, I'm _so_ glad I made that decision. If I didn't... I don't want to think about what could've happened."

"No..I get that. I totally get that.."

"I stayed in that relationship for way too long. It brought me to my lowest point... Liv, if you're ever in a situation like that, I _need_ you to tell me. So we can get you out of it. Because I can't bare to think about what would happen if I let you go through anything near what I went through."

Liv sniffled beside her mom. "I don't think my situation is exactly the same as yours.." atleast, she hoped not.

"Could you maybe... expand on your situation?"

"I'm sorta seeing someone.." she started slowly. "But it's all fine, nothing to worry about."

"Could you - could you please tell me about them?"

"Uhuh. What do you want to know?"

"Who - who is it?"

"Just someone from college..no one you've met I don't think momma."

"How long? Name? Age?"

"A few months I guess. Alex..age 21." She kept the details vague.

"I'm gonna need more than that, baby," Toni said, her hands resuming rubbing Olivia's back.

"Okay.." Liv whispered quietly. "W..what else do you want to know?"

"Whatever you can tell me. How'd you meet? Where's he from? What's his course?"

"We met at college. They're..in their final year. Studying media. They're from Phoenix."

 _They're_... Toni picked up. "Oh? And - and are they nice?"

"Nice enough" she shrugged. "Like I said, nothing to worry about."

"Please, baby, I'm interested." Toni noticed Liv wasn't raving about this... _Alex_. Nothing like she'd been with her previous relationships - people she'd had nothing but positive words for.

"We are very different people. They.." she started, thinking about what she wanted to say. "They're older. They're kinda all or nothing and I'm not really like that".

"Why - why are you with them, then?" Toni asked. "Do you care for them?"

"I.." she wondered. "I'm not really sure now I think about it."

"Hmm," Toni nodded wisely. "Maybe that's something to think about?"

"I think it might be."

"Me too," Toni agreed. "Is this... Alex... a big part of your anxieties?"

"I didn't think so" Liv tensed under Toni's hand, her shoulders tight. "But maybe..now I think about it.." she had never talked it through before.

"Mmm, maybe indeed. I think... I think you should have a long think about whether the relationship is a help or a hindrance in your happiness, okay?"

Olivia nodded at her mom's wise words. "I don't think they would like it if I ended things.."

"If they don't, I'm gonna have something to say about it. It's your life, Livvy. Your choice. If you're not happy, you don't have to stay."

Olivia swiped at the angry tears in her cheeks. Her mom made it sound so easy. She wished it was.

"Sweetie? I know it seems hard. But I also know you're strong. You've made it through so much... you can definitely make it through this."

"Right..yeah.."

"You will" Toni promised.

Olivia wished she could believe her mom, she really did. It was hard to explain. "Alex..Alex knows stuff mom."

"What does Alex know, baby?" Toni asked softly.

"Stuff..about me. That I don't want others to know.." she blushed a deep red.

"Stuff that me and mom know?"

Olivia nodded. "Stuff that _only_ you and mom know."

"Ah," Toni nodded knowingly. "Did you tell Alex?"

"Stupidly.." she mumbled, crying again. She seemed to do that a lot lately. "I wish I hadn't."

"Why do you wish that?" Toni asked softly, pulling her daughter closer still.

"Cos when people know stuff..like that.. they can use it against you."

"They can... if you let them. Is Alex the type of person who'd do that?"

Olivia was silent for a bit. "I uh..maybe.."

Toni liked the sound of this Alex less and less every minute, her therapist persona giving way for protective momma bear. "Livvy... do you think Alex is a nice person?"

"I uh..well..she can be.."

 _She_. "She can be? How?"

"Just normal things. I think she's just maybe a bit protective. Or possessive or..I dunno."

"Can you try to explain how? How she's possessive or protective?"

"Likes to know where I am. What I'm doing...it's because she _cares_." 

"Does she tell you that?"

Olivia nods. "All the time."

"Because she cares?" Toni repeated, double checking.

"Uhuh. She just wants me to be safe."

Toni bit her lip. "I don't know about that, baby." She knew she needed to approach this with utmost caution.

"What do you mean momma? Of course she does. She loves me."

"Do you love her?"

"I uh..I...I mean..I _like_ her.."

"Not love, though?" Toni pushed gently, her hand raking through Liv's hair.

Liv shook her head. "But I..I'm only 18. No one is really in _love_ at 18 right?"

Toni looked down. _She'd_ been really in love at 18, but she wasn't sure how to point that out without making Liv more anxious.

"Right..?" Liv said again when her mom didn't respond.

"You could be," Toni said quietly. "But that's not the point here. Livvy, if she's hurting you..."

"What? No..no she's not.."

"Maybe not physically," Toni suggested. "Maybe mentally. Emotionally."

"No..no. She's not, why would you think that momma? She _loves_ me.."

"She - " This was so much harder, Toni thought. Usually when she had to break the fact that their partner was abusive to one of her therapy patients it was hard but - but this was another level. "I know she says she does, baby, but she's emotionally hurting you... that's not a healthy relationship..."

"Why do you think that's mom? She's not.."

Toni felt her eyes fill with tears. "She is, sweetie, I'm so sorry..."

"How do you _know_?"

"Because, baby, I know the signs. I know.... and you've got all of them, and I need - as your _momma_ , I need to get you out of this. I can't let you get hurt."

"You think that's what's happening here?"

"I - I do, Livvy... I'm sorry."

"But..that..that's not why I'm struggling.. it's everything else. Not that.."

"I think - I think this is playing a big part in it," Toni admitted quietly. "Can't you see that?"

Olivia was quiet for a while..thinking it all through. " I guess I can.."

"Yeah?" Toni asked, hope gripping her chest. "You can?"

"Maybe.." Liv shrugged. "Although I don't think Alex would agree.."

"It doesn't matter what she thinks... this is about you."

Olivia nodded in agreement.

"How do you think she'd react if you called things off? Is it a serious relationship?"

"I'm not sure. Define serious .."

"Serious... do you stay with her? How far has it gone... sexually?"

" _Mom_!!" She flushed red.

"Sorry!" Toni said with a shrug, totally unphased. "You asked, not me."

"No..it's fine. I'm an adult now..I can be grown up about this stuff."

Toni grinned. "Can you?"

"Uh well..maybe.." her cheeks were still burning red.

Toni grinned again, pressing a soft kiss to her daughter's forehead. "If you don't want to, it's okay..."

"It's fine" she shook her head softly.

"Okay," Toni nodded, holding her tight. "I'm here for you."

"That means so much."

"You shouldn't ever question it."

"I don't, I promise."

"Mmm... Good. So - can you tell me if it's serious?"

"Kinda serious..maybe.."

"In which way?"

"Uh..both ways that you said about before" She hadn't thought it was at all before.

"Can you explain that for me, baby?"

Olivia's cheeks flushed red again. "Uh..she likes me to stay over."

"She does? Do you feel comfortable staying over?"

"She likes to make sure I'm okay. Take care of me."

"How?" Toni asked again, determined to get actual answers from her daughter.

"Brush my hair..give me a massage. Normal stuff that people do together."

“Does she do those things... kindly?”

"Kindly? Uh yeah. I guess.." she had never thought about it.

“So She doesn’t hurt you,” Toni confirmed, her breath bated.

"Mom. I know how to take care of myself."

“Double checking.” Toni said, still waiting for an answer.

"We're fine. She loves me mom, she wouldn't try to hurt me on purpose."

“On purpose?” Toni said carefully. “Has she ever hurt you accidentally?”

" _No_ , no. That just came our wrong. Can we stop talking about this now?"

“If you want,” Toni nodded simply.

"Okay thanks" she was worried her mom was going to keep pushing her to say more about it.

“Is there anything else you want to talk about?”

"What would you do..if you were me?"

“If I was you? At your age or mine?”

"My age. If you were in my situation..what would you do?"

“I’d ask for help,” Toni nodded. “It would be hard but I’d try to get out of it. And I’d _talk_...”

"Who would you talk to? What what you say?"

“My friends, maybe. My family. I’d ask what to do, take their advice, let them help me. Talking can make all the difference.”

"I'm trying.." she whispered quietly.

“I know. You’re doing really well.”

"Thanks she smiled, her eyes shining.

Toni pressed another kiss to the crown of her head. “I love you.”

"I love you too. I don't wanna go back, I just wanna stay here with you."

“How long are classes cancelled for?”

"Oh um..uh..I'm not sure exactly.."

Toni raised an eyebrow. “Are classes cancelled, Liv?”

She shook her head, her gaze falling to her lap.

“Oh, baby,” Toni murmured. “So - so why did you just _now_ decide to come home?” Surely something had triggered it.

"I missed you guys so much. And I had a fight with Alex and everything all felt too much.."

"A fight?"

"Just..just an argument."

"About?"

"I can't remember mom.." her hands came up to massage her temples.

"Sorry... sorry," Toni said softly. "Was it bad?"

"No. Well i guess it depends how you define bad" she shrugged.

"How do you define bad?" Toni asked, her arms encasing her daughter again with a small sigh.

"It's not like I came home covered in bruises.."

"That's not the only sign of abuse, though," Toni said gently.

"What else?"

"Jealousy... controlling partnerships... sadness..."

Olivia bit her lip as she took in her mother's words. "Right..right."

"Sometimes, it's just a feeling that something's not right. Do things... do things feel right, Livvy?"

Olivia hesitated, looking at her mom for a second before her gaze had shifted down to her lap again. "I don't know" her voice was quiet.

"You don't know?" Toni pressed softly, her hand reaching out to cup Liv's cheek. "Are you sure?"

"I guess..maybe they don't..."

Toni nodded. "Do you think you'll feel better if you break it off? In the long run?"

Olivia found herself nodding before Toni had even finished talking. Even the _thought_ it it being over was like a weight off her shoulders.

"Yeah, I think so too," Toni nodded with a smile. "That's really good, baby."

"Easier said than done though.."

"I know. Can you - can you let me - and mom - help?"

"Please.." she really did need their help. " _How_ though?"

"Depends how drastic a course of action you want us to take," Toni offered, completely ready to fight if she had to.

"I don't know. What are you thinking?"

"Well... option one is I call all the ex-serpents from when your mom and I were in highschool and we storm the place... but I feel like that's a bit dramatic, no?"

"Far too dramatic ".

Toni grinned. "Sorry. I was only kidding about doing that. But seriously Livvy, I think you have to be the one to break it off. I can help with the before and after but the actual thing needs to come from you..."

"What do I say to her? How do I let her down gently" _without making her mad_ She thought.

"You want to do that? Be gentle?" It always surprised Toni how compassionate her daughter was.

Livvy nodded. She did want to be gentle but she was also scared of making Alex angry.

Toni sighed. "Maybe... call her? Tell her your classes have been compromised and you need to focus on your studies... let her know it's not her fault, even if it is..."

"I'm not sure that will work mom. If I do that, she'll be knocking at my dorm room door demanding answers."

"Maybe we keep you here for a while," Toni suggested. "That way, if she wants you, she has to go through your two momma bears and your crazy little sister..."

"I like the sound of that. I always feel safe when I am with you guys."

"Because we're your family," Toni smiled. "We're here for you."

"And that means so much to me" she hugged Toni tight. "I am so lucky to have the best family in the entire world."

"And we're so lucky to have you," Toni promised.

Olivia blushed, hugging Toni tighter still.

"Love you, baby."

"Love you too mom. I'm sorry I came home and dumped all this on you. It was sposed to be your day off work."

"No - no, don't apologise for that. I'm really glad you told me... and so proud, okay?"

"I honestly don't know how you do it. I just end up staying stuff that I never intended to share with anyone."

"That's a _good_ thing... and it's a talent of mine," Toni grinned. "I've been told I'm very good at it."

"Guess you wouldn't be the best therapist around if you weren't."

Toni smiled. "It's kind of a pre-requisite, hmm?"

"Definitely. Although even if you weren't a therapist, you'd still be awesome at it because you're an amazing mom."

"Thank you, gorgeous," Toni grinned. "You're an amazing daughter."

"Guess I must have been raised by the best then."

"Yeah, your mom," Toni giggled, tickling her daughter in the side. "And me. Coz I'm the best."

"You're _both_ the best" she giggled when Toni tickled her. "Me and Lexie are the luckiest girls ever because we got you two as our parents."

"Why thank you," Toni grinned, giving an exaggerated bow before pulling Liv close again and kissing the top of her head.

"Mom, you're silly" Liv laughed.

"but you love me for it right?"

"Always."

"and why is that?"

"Because mom, you always say, _as long as I'm living my baby you'll be_ " she recited, a fond smile on her lips. It was a line from one of Liv's favorite childhood stories.

She hugged Liv tight again. "Got it in one."

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Your comments make us happy!!
> 
> Also, we have quite a few in the pipe line right now, but feel free to leave any prompts below!


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